


Far From Joy

by knightswatch



Category: Free!
Genre: Arabian!AU, Arranged Marriage, Bodyguard, Dragons, Emotional bonding, Fae & Fairies, M/M, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 04:29:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4592898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightswatch/pseuds/knightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a shuffle and clank behind him and two guards marched a young boy in behind him.</p><p>Both his wrists and ankles were bound with steel shackles, head lowered so that all Ai could see was the dark hair cropped close to his head. His clothes were stained, threadbare, and he was far from clean, but despite the dirt on his arms and legs Ai could see dark tattoos winding up his arms and over his shins, black lines clean and defined against his skin. Shigeru frowned harder, shaking his head. “You cannot believe that I'll allow you to gift this boy to my son.”</p><p>“He's no boy,” Kahlil's smile was sinister, one of his teeth replaced with a piece of gold that glinted from his mouth and made Ai shiver. He seemed careful when he approached the boy, tapping the back of his head rather than grabbing at him, still smiling. The boy lifted it slowly, staring straight ahead with heavy teal eyes rather than actually looking at Ai or Shigeru. “He's in a sorry state for sure-- but this is a dragon.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: 0- The Fool

**Author's Note:**

> Okay if you read this before and are now extremely confused, that's okay. I decided to change a lot of things in this and ended up rewriting quite a bit of it.

Ai was six the first time he was introduced to the idea of dragons. It wasn't dramatic then-- they weren't as plagued by the fiery beasts as their neighbor to the south and it was only because a party of hunters had decided to bring a giant scaly pelt to his father as a gift. He ran his fingers over the scales, marveling at the way they fit together like armor, a smooth to the touch as tempered glass. His father had smiled, resting a hand on the back of his head.

“They're incredible beasts, no doubt about that,” there was pride in the set of his shoulders when they hung the pelt above the fireplace in his study, and Ai lamented the positioning because it meant he couldn't touch those scales again. Men mumbled about the king keeping the pelt of a monster hung over his mantle like it was some grand accomplishment and Ai kept his desire to see a real dragon someday secret.

 

On his tenth birthday, a slaver came to the palace, claiming he had a gift for the young prince. At first Shigeru, Ai's father, had refused to even let the man in the gates, an intense frown on his face when he relented. They didn't allow the keeping of humans as property.

“Kahlil,” his greeting was neutral, seated in the tall, straight-backed throne in the middle of the hall to receive the man. He was older than Ai expected, brown cheeks weathered, turban covering the majority of his balding head, dressed in rich reds and pale whites, smile crinkling his eyes. Ai couldn't help but think he had a face that looked far too kind for that of a slaver, men his father had always described as cruel and barbaric. There was a shuffle and clank behind him and two guards marched a young boy in behind him.

Both his wrists and ankles were bound with steel shackles, head lowered so that all Ai could see was the dark hair cropped close to his head. His clothes were stained, threadbare, and he was far from clean, but despite the dirt on his arms and legs Ai could see dark tattoos winding up his arms and over his shins, black lines clean and defined against his skin. Shigeru frowned harder, shaking his head. “You cannot believe that I'll allow you to gift this boy to my son.”

“He's no boy,” Kahlil's smile was sinister, one of his teeth replaced with a piece of gold that glinted from his mouth and made Ai shiver. He seemed careful when he approached the boy, tapping the back of his head rather than grabbing at him, still smiling. The boy lifted it slowly, staring straight ahead with heavy teal eyes rather than actually looking at Ai or Shigeru. “He's in a sorry state for sure-- but this is a dragon.”

Ai blinked at that, hopping off the small cushion he had occupied on the floor and padding over to the boy-- dragon, before someone could stop him, slippers making a soft tapping rhythm on the floor. He leaned forward, blinking up at the cold gaze that he was met with and hesitating slightly. “R-really?”

“Of course. Even taught him to speak with a civilized tongue,” he smirked at Shigeru's curious look, leaning forward in the seat like he wanted to snatch Ai away.

The boy stared at him for another moment before lifting his gaze and nodding slowly. Kahlil was giving him an expectant look and he drew in a slow breath before speaking. “If I stay, I protect treasure.”

His speech was halting, accented heavily and he frowned when he finished. Ai blinked, eyes going wide as he looked up at the boy, bouncing his weight between his feet shyly. “Do you have a name?”

His gaze snapped back to Ai, seeming surprised by the question before nodding his head slowly, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards just slightly. “Sousuke.”

“I really don't think we need a dragon guarding the vault--” Shigeru started, blinking in surprise when Sousuke shook his head, still staring directly at Ai with a weight that made his cheeks flush slightly.

“He is treasure, correct? I protect treasure,” he sounded almost puzzled, eyebrows scrunching together for a moment. Sousuke seemed aware of the confusion following his statement, nodding his head slowly at Ai, one eyebrow creeping upward. “I protect.”

“I see,” Shigeru's face scrunched up, frown crossing his features quickly as he lifted his gaze to Kahlil instead, folding his hands in his lap. “I'm assuming this isn't a gift from the goodness of your heart?”

“It seemed rude not to bring something for the prince's birthday,” he responded, voice like oil sliding down a rock. Ai was caught between listening to the conversation like he should and the fascination with the dragon, thinking back to the pelt that still hung in his father's study. He inched closer while the adults were talking, not surprised to find Sousuke still staring at him.

“D-do you have scales?” He dropped his voice to a whisper, face shining brightly when Sousuke slowly nodded, extending a hand outwards. The ink spread across his knuckles seemed to shift and change, fading to make way for scales blue as a stormy ocean instead of flesh, starting to creep up his knuckles. Ai cooed in surprise, reaching a hand out slowly to touch them when one of the guards jerked the chain attached to his wrist sharply.

“Hey! Don't go changing into a monster here!” His voice was a shout and both Shigeru and Kahlil looked over with wide eyes, the scales absorbing back into skin just as quickly. Ai frowned, dropping his hand and looking over at the guard with a small shake of his head.

“H-he wasn't--” he shook his head again, swallowing and trying to make himself stand taller, speak with more confidence. It was hard-- he was shy by nature and now worried that he'd already made the dragon, not like him. “I-I wanted to see.”

The guard frowned, looking like he wanted to respond to that by scolding Ai when Shigeru sighed out softly, waving his hand. “I suppose if Aiichirou is already so interested in him I'll have to agree.”

Ai didn't ask what he was agreeing to, only turned to Kahlil with bright eyes, holding his hand out meekly and swallowing before he found his voice again. “I-I'd like to unlock him.”

“Sire, you can't mean to let a monster be his new playmate,” the guard barked in surprise, eyeing the key in Ai's hand with plain terror. Sousuke didn't react to the word, a small smile on his face as Ai inched closer, taking one wrist in his hand and unlocking it, doing the same with the other before handing the key over to let Sousuke unlock his own ankles. The guards drew back from him all at once, hands on their blades, eyeing him as he simply stood again, looking around the room like his freedom was a surprise to him.

Ai smiled slowly, wrapping his hand around Sousuke's forearm, careful of his scraped wrists and dragged him out of the room without paying any mind to the blanket of tension that had settled thick and heavy over it, nodding at Sousuke. “We can get Ama-sensei to give you a bath.”

He giggled as Sousuke wrinkled his nose, shaking his head with a beam over his face. “Don't worry, it won't be so bad.”

Amataka did not seem pleased when Ai dragged a silent Sousuke to the open bathing area, still gripping his arm with one firm had. Her brow furrowed intensely, taking in his dirt caked skin, tattoos covering what was visible, frowning.

“Aiichirou, who is this?” She moved like she wanted to pull Ai away from Sousuke, stepping back when a growl rumbled from the center of his chest at the sudden motion.

“This is Sousuke-- he's a dragon,” Ai beamed at her, faltering when her hand pressed to her forehead in a sign to ward away evil. His voice went small and soft, fingers squeezing tighter. “He's really nice Ama-sensei.”

“Oh dear,” she pulled him away slowly this time, eyes fixed warily on Sousuke. He didn't move this time, frowning slightly harder with his brow knitting together. “Dragons are killers sweetie. Come here--”

“No,” Sousuke's voice was still low and even, his head shaking slowly back and forth. His hand reached out towards Ai though he didn't grab for him, scowling more impressively than before. “Not kill, protect.”

He nodded at Ai again, a furrow of confusion crossing his face like he was unsure of the words himself until he repeated them; “Not kill. Protect.”

Her eyes went wide, gripping Ai tighter and pulling him back a step, freezing when Sousuke growled again. He looked confused still, rubbing his hand on his chest like he wasn't sure where the sound was coming from. He looked up at Amataka again before turning back to Ai, dropping his hand back to his side. “Don't go.”

Ai nodded hard, tugging his arm free and looking back at Amataka with his best attempt at a glare, looking back to Sousuke with a smile, trying to inject his voice with confidence. “You have to take a bath, okay? I'll make sure you get new clothes.”

Sousuke hummed slightly at that, scrunching his brow up slightly before pulling off the mostly shredded tunic and pants, eyeing the water a little warily. “Can't swim.”

“It's not that deep,” Ai giggled, giving Sousuke a gentle nudge forward and smiling when he stepped into the cool water with a slight frown passing him a lump of fragrant soap and a cloth, sitting by the edge and directing him quietly at the best way to get himself clean, leaning forward to try and study the tattoo's that seemed to cover most of his skin, more ink than untouched skin. “How old are you, Sousuke?”

Sousuke looked over his shoulder at that, tilting his head to the side and seeming to spend a long moment measuring the question in his mind before settling on “Not nestling.”

“They didn't teach you a lot of words, did they? Can you read?” Ai blinked owlishly, looking up at the pair of guards entering with a bright smile, waving an arm. “Could you please bring clothes that will fit Sousuke?”

They both stared before one turned sharply and walked away obediently, frowning. Ai looked back at Sousuke who was looking at him with the same puzzled expression as before, shrugging. “You can start coming to my lessons with me, I'll help you learn.”

“Don't need,” Sousuke shook his head, hoisting himself out of the water smoothly, blinking at the cloth Ai passed to him to try off with, rubbing the soft fabric between his hands before swiping it over his skin with sure motions. Ai frowned softly.

“How are we supposed to talk if you don't learn?” He was worried that Sousuke didn't want to be friends with him and he shifted so he was sitting on his knees, head tilted to the side. 

“Are-- supposed to talk?” Sousuke blinked, lifting his head at the now approaching guard who bowed his head when handing the clothes over to Ai. The prince beamed at him before passing them to Sousuke, nodding his head.

“I wanna be friends with you-- if that's okay,” he added the second part in a rush, cocking his head as the dragon got dressed without responding, still looking puzzled when he nodded his head slowly, ignoring the mumbles behind him about the prince trying to make friends with a beast.


	2. XVIII- The Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By the time Ai pushes the door open he's a tense wreck despite his best efforts not to be, and his eyes are glossy with tears despite the way that he tries to smile through them, watery and thin. “W-we have to move away.”
> 
> He moves off the bed quickly, scooping the small prince up in his arms and trying to subtly sniff for blood or other signs of injury. He rarely finds them when Ai is crying, but it pays to check anyways. Satisfied that he's at least not physically hurt Sousuke sets him on the bed, glad when Ai doesn't protest being carried around like he sometimes does. He barely weighs anything in Sousuke's arms-- he could carry him everywhere he wanted to go and not be burdened by it. Ai sniffles, pressing his face into the broad muscle of Sousuke's shoulder, mumbling into the sleeve of his robe. “Th-there's a Fey prince that I have to get married to.”

It's a strange thing to Sousuke, Ai getting married, and it seems to happen all at once. One morning, barely after the celebration that was thrown for the prince's 18th birthday, a delegation of Fey come banging on the door of the palace and for the first time in a long time he's shuffled away from Ai, told to go to the room they share and not cause any trouble by a guard who seemed repulsed to even have to speak to him. He doesn't take much notice of the sneer on the man's face before the door swings shut between them or the quiet mumble of 'monster'. He's used to these things regardless of Ai's constant instance that he's the furthest thing from a monster.

Left with nothing to do with the morning he mostly mills around and reads, wonders why he's not allowed to see Ai when he could be with dangerous people, reads some more. By the time Ai pushes the door open he's a tense wreck despite his best efforts not to be, and his eyes are glossy with tears despite the way that he tries to smile through them, watery and thin. “W-we have to move away.”

He moves off the bed quickly, scooping the small prince up in his arms and trying to subtly sniff for blood or other signs of injury. He rarely finds them when Ai is crying, but it pays to check anyways. Satisfied that he's at least not physically hurt Sousuke sets him on the bed, glad when Ai doesn't protest being carried around like he sometimes does. He barely weighs anything in Sousuke's arms-- he could carry him everywhere he wanted to go and not be burdened by it. Ai sniffles, pressing his face into the broad muscle of Sousuke's shoulder, mumbling into the sleeve of his robe. “Th-there's a Fey prince that I have to get married to.”

Sousuke grunts slightly, trying to think of something to say to that. He doesn't like any of the Fey delegates that he's met so far though he isn't sure why. Usually, his dislike stems from things that he sees as a threat, or things he can feel make Ai nervous, but Fey bother him in an entirely separate way. They're all too willowy to really seem threatening though every single one of them absolutely reeks of magic and Ai finds them absolutely enthralling in the same way he saw Sousuke when they were children. He doesn't have anything that would be comforting for the prince, anything that would make it sound better so instead he just mumbles; “You'll have me, my prince.”

The words press into Ai's hair and seem to soothe him a little, because Sousuke can feel the cool rush of relief over the bubbling of his anxiety and he smiles, stroking his fingers over Ai's arm delicately, barely skimming over the skin.

* * *

It's barely a week later that he's pulling Ai onto the deck of the ship taking them away from home, blinking at the sudden and harsh light of the sun in his eyes.

He can feel the tug of Ai's nervousness in his chest and he's spent the whole voyage on edge, the bond between them tugging at him and telling him that there's something that Ai needs protecting from, even though he knows Ai is just scared of the water all around them and worried that he won't like their new country. He breathes in a slow breath, rubbing his chest with his free hand to try and urge the dull ache in it.

“S-sorry,” Ai stumbles out, looking up at him with his frown getting a little heavier. Sousuke shrugs and shakes his head, dropping his hand quickly and flicking his eyes away. 

“It's fine, my prince,” his job is to feel Ai. It's the reason he's able to protect him so well; having an emotional bond to the small prince allows him to know whenever there's something wrong. Ai looks unconvinced, squeezing his hand tighter and glancing over the railing at the churning ocean below.

“Can we go back under the deck now?” He asks, twitching a little nervously. Sousuke pauses, weighing the options. Technically he's supposed to follow orders from Ai, but it's rare the prince actually gives any. Usually, he treats things more like he's asking for Sousuke's permission for things.

“It would be good for you to get some sunlight,” he reminds Ai, shaking his head and letting him sit on a heavy spool of rope further away from the railing. He drops to sitting next to Ai with a small smile, flicking his hair with a roll of his eyes. “Besides, if you stay below decks you get sea sick.”

“Yeah but I feel better now,” Ai's tongue peeks out between his lips but he doesn't argue further than that. For a long moment, he sits quietly, but Sousuke can feel the slow burn of anxiety under his skin. “Hey, Sou?”

“Yes, my prince?” The formal address rolls off his tongue as easy as breathing and Ai rolls his eyes, eyebrows raised like he's waiting for Sousuke to correct himself. Ai has given him permission a hundred times not to use it, Sousuke never actually listens. Ai sighs, kicking his feet against the coil of rope and looking up at the endless stretch of blue sky over them.

“Do you think he'll like me?” He asks when he looks back at Sousuke, tilting his head to the side. Ai's cheeks are pink and Sousuke frowns. He doesn't know what to say; he finds it hard to imagine that anyone wouldn't like Ai, but he dislikes whoever he's been betrothed to on principal. He can feel Ai's anxiety pressing on his heart again and he nods slowly.

“Of course he will,” he settles on, smiling again because at least the answer is true. Ai beams in response, even if the anxiety isn't quite gone. It's okay, Sousuke knows there's more to be nervous about than just that. He doesn't stiffen when Ai pitches to the side, laying his head out in Sousuke's lap with a soft sigh. “I'm gonna miss Dad and Hiro-nii.”

“I'm sure they'll miss you too, my prince,” Sousuke grumbles, stroking his fingers through Ai's hair and shrugging. It's getting to the time where he knows he should stop being so childishly personal with the prince, shifting to serving him as a guard rather than a companion or best friend, but the tugging sensation in his chest eases when he skims his thumb over the shell of Ai's ear and he smiles, continuing to pet him. “They'll come to visit you.”

“You too,” Ai says, sounding almost sleepy. Sousuke tilts his gaze downward and grins as he finds the prince's eyes starting to droop, the warmth of the sun and comfort of Sousuke's lap apparently getting the better of them. “Hiro-nii is like your brother, he'll miss you.”

“Hiro will have plenty to worry about already,” Sousuke shrugs a little because they aren't really, he and Hiro have grown up together out of necessity more than actual companionship. They trained together until Hiro was promoted to actual knighthood.

“When he gets knighted,” Ai's voice hovers somewhere between a question and a statement but Sousuke nods anyway, stroking his fingers over the back of Ai's neck. Touching such a vulnerable spot on the prince's neck makes a shiver roll down his spine and he pulls his hand back quickly, going back to petting Ai's hair instead.

“As if he isn't cocky enough now,” he grumbles, shaking his head and chuckling softly when Ai closes his eyes and nods his head softly. He's already mostly asleep, Sousuke can see it in the steady rise and fall of his chest and he settles into his spot further, letting his hand cover the back of Ai's neck with a smile. Some of the sailors pause to stare at them and grin, probably at the little prince who's generally made himself scarce the entire voyage. Sousuke doesn't glare or give them much reaction except for a glance up at each person that stops, keeping his hand cupped around Ai's neck, protecting the delicate bones with his touch.

* * *

Ai seems more comfortable with the ship in their last few days of sailing, even letting one of the deckhands show him how to climb the first few feet of rigging and hang from the ropes. Sousuke stops directly under him, arms held out to catch Ai the second he falls, even though he doesn't, climbing nimbly down and dropping next to Sousuke with a giggle, suggesting that he try it. Sousuke doesn't agree.

* * *

The first thing he notices stepping off the ship and onto the dock of Samezuka's harbor is how unforgivingly hot it is. Hot and crowded. He frowns, drawing himself up as tall as he can, which is large, at least surrounded by humans, and cupping a hand around Ai's shoulder to keep him close. They have one of the Nitori family's advisers with them; an older man that Sousuke loses sight of as soon as his boots touch the weathered boards. He almost groans but instead grips Ai tighter, trying to draw him away from the swell of the crowd. “My prince, we should--”

There's a jostle of people around them and Sousuke loses his grip as he's forced to dodge out of the way of a woman with a cart. She turns to glare at him as she rattles by and once she's gone so is Ai. There's a slam of panic through his veins and he's craning to try and see the prince. He can't see over the press of people around him, and there's an urgent tug in the center of his chest that means Ai has realized he's alone.

Sousuke winds up growling at the crowd around him, letting it rumble from the center of his chest to at least clear a small pocket of space around him. He's struggling to swallow his own panic down to the pit of his stomach; he's never actually lost Ai before. He steps further away from the crowd, pressing against a stack of wooden crates and closing his eyes, trying to breathe slowly and get control of his thoughts.

Feeling slightly more even he reaches inside himself and touches against the bond, trying to use it to find Ai. He can't-- it's not clear enough and his emotions are still rumbling through him like a storm under his skin. He can feel the prince's fear when he touches the bond, demanding his attention and making him elbow his way into the crowd, drawing a deep breath into his lungs and shouting 'Ai!' into the crowd with all the volume that he can manage.

He doesn't hear anything back; everything around him is too loud and too fast for him to focus on properly. The dock is awash with smells that make his head reel when he tries to sort through them; saltwater and fish and animals and sweat and a thousand people pressing too lose on his senses and giving him a headache. He can't shake the voice in his head screaming at him that every second he isn't there Ai is in danger, that he was careless to let go of him. Ai is lost and someone could hurt him before Sousuke even has a chance to find him. Scales start to crawl their way over his arms, emerging from the black ink on his skin and filling the air around him with the tang of magic from the beginning of the transformation.

It feels like an entire year stretches out between his voice shouting for the small prince and a returning call of 'Sousuke!'. He wheels towards it on instinct wired into his blood, breathing a sigh of relief when he catches sight of sapphire blue eyes and silver hair. Ai seems to notice him too, waving his arm frantically and looking up at the red haired boy standing next to him. Sousuke nearly knocks someone over in his haste, pulling Ai into his arms as soon as he's close enough, pushing his face against his hair and breathing in his scent; soft rainwater and lilacs, like the first touch of summer, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment. “My prince.”

Ai is quivering against him, his fingers curling to grip the fabric of Sousuke's shirt, babbling soft apologies into his chest. Sousuke lifts his head with a blink, realizing that he's standing face to face with another dragon for the first time that he can remember. There's still blue scales crawling over the surface of his forearms and despite the fact that he doesn't want to scare Ai further he growls on instinct. It's not often anymore that he thinks of Ai as treasure to be hoarded and protected, but having another dragon standing there sets him instantly on edge.

He seems to realize it at the same moment, red eyes going wide and his lips peeling back to reveal his teeth in a grim smile before he notices Sousuke's arms tightening instinctively around Ai. He lifts his hands up and growls something harsh and fluid that barely sounds like words but still makes Sousuke's brain itch. He holds up one arm, and some distant and almost forgotten part of his mind tells him that he's showing the clan mark that's tattooed on his arm; red rather than black like the rest.

Sousuke unwraps his arm reluctantly, holding up his own in response. It's faded-- barely there in blue. The other dragon has to lean forward to squint at it before he falls a step back and nods, grimace fading into a real smile that's every bit as sharp and toothy. “I'm Rin.”

He glances at Ai when Sousuke doesn't untense his position, shaking his head with a laugh. “Don't worry, I'm not gonna try and steal from you.”

Usually Sousuke would object to the sense that Ai is actually his, but in this case he decides it's better if Rin believes that, nodding his head and slowly releasing his arms, letting Ai step back. The prince looks confused until he follows Sousuke's gaze to Rin's arms, eyes going wide and excited, voice hushed. “You're a dragon too?”

He blinks at Ai for a second before nodding his head eagerly and Sousuke rests one hand on Ai's shoulder, letting the scales absorb into his skin again. “Sousuke. This is Aiichirou.”

“You just migrated here then, yeah?” He cocks his head then laughs at Sousuke's frown, rolling his eyes. “Earth clans don't exactly come to the desert very often, it's sorta obvious.”

Sousuke rolls his shoulders through a shrug, shaking his head and tucking Ai closer to him, aware of the short glances Rin is still giving the prince. “I'm not with a clan.”

The word feels strange on his tongue-- wrong. He knows objectively that many years ago he had one, before he met Ai. He's never explained to the prince the circumstances that led to him being given away as little more than an animal to a child. Rin frowns at that, ignoring Ai in favor of staring strangely at Sousuke. He growls out something in the other language again and Sousuke just shakes his head.

“I don't understand,” he sighs, resting his hand on the back of Ai's neck instead of his shoulder and trying to ignore the plainly incredulous look that Rin gives him. He doesn't have any standard for this kind of interaction and without giving his body permission he darts his gaze over to Ai who pats his side reassuringly, looking up at Rin with a relaxed smile. Dimly Sousuke thinks he should probably be more afraid but Ai has always been fascinated by things that might just kill him.

“Sousuke is my bodyguard,” he explains, ignoring the way Rin's eyes go wide. “He grew up with me, not with other dragons.”

“Hah?” Rin breathes the sound out in confusion, shaking his head quickly back and forth. “He's-- what?”

“Bodyguard,” Sousuke says the word slowly, drawing out each syllable like Rin might be a little thick. The other dragon frowns at him instantly, eyes narrowing slightly and Sousuke grins in return, letting it creep slow and crooked over his face. “Do you need me to explain that for you?”

“Obviously not,” Rin snorts, crossing his arms over his chest, the sleeves of his shirt riding up his arms and revealing more tattoos that Ai studies with vibrant eyes, easing a step away from Sousuke. 

“Can I--” he nods at Rin's arms, teeth biting into his lip. Sousuke find himself wishing that is wasn't these moments that Ai decides to get rid of his shyness. Rin blinks before extending his arm with a grin, chuckling softly. Ai doesn't grab it but he does lean over, beaming as he studies the scrawl of ink and not noticing Sousuke trying to glare a hole through the side of Rin's head. Ai hums softly before looking up, teeth gleaming as he grins. “Yours are different from Sousuke's.”

Rin nods, grinning wider and flipping his arm over so his palm is facing up, pointing to the sole red mark with a chuckle. “That's a clan marking-- different clans use different combinations of spells to control their transformations.”

Ai hums softly in interest, and this time his fingers trace over one of the black lines, nodding his head. “These ones I recognize though.”

Rin doesn't seem perturbed by the soft touch of Ai's fingers, and something ugly and aggravated raises its head in Sousuke's stomach. “Those are general marks for binding.”

Sousuke's hand clenches into a tight fist when Rin takes gentle hold of Ai's hand, guiding it in tracing a different line, chuckling. “This is more specific-- for fire and flight.”

“Sousuke refuses to take me flying,” Ai lifts his head to glare over his shoulder and Sousuke rolls his eyes, stepping forward and planting a hand on top of Ai's head, huffing a small, strained laugh.

“It's my job to keep you safe, my prince, not partake in activities that could get us both killed,” he smiles even as he tries to scold Ai and the prince just gives him a sweet smile and tilts his head just slightly, bangs falling over his eyes. He's won before Sousuke even has the chance to try and argue with him. Instead he sighs, ruffling the silver hair under his hand and rolling his eyes. “We need to go, delivering you late to the Shigino family won't exactly look good.”

Ai sighs out softly and misses the moment that Rin's face drops, somewhere between anger and distaste. He seems reluctant to even nod his head in agreement and Sousuke is reminded of Ai trying to hide his crying in the middle of the night; the struggling smiles and attempts to make sure no one worries about him through all the packing and arranging that had brought them there. He turns to Rin and smiles again quickly, sugar sweet, and bobs his head in a quick bow not seeming to notice the fact that Rin hasn't switched back to his stupid grinning quite yet. “It was very nice to meet you Rin-senpai!”

The chirp of his voice does bring the smile back to Rin's face and he laughs, nodding his head and rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah... Good luck with the Shigino family, my prince.”

He adds the address with a smirk and a wink that makes Ai's cheeks color and Sousuke has to swallow a growl down from his throat at the disrespect he tacks onto the words before Rin turns smartly on his heel and melts into the crowd with a wave of his hand. Sousuke sighs, letting the tension bleed out of his veins but squeezing his hand gently around Ai's elbow, smiling when the prince looks up at him. “I'd rather not lose you again.”

“Of course,” Ai giggles, walking at Sousuke's pace through the crowd and staying close to him this time. Even so, they never seem to get any closer to the looming sandstone walls that make up the palace and tension is starting to flow thick through Sousuke's blood. He squeezes a little tighter around Ai's arm, not enough to hurt but enough to pull the prince's attention from glancing over a cart of fresh fruit to smile up at him. “Sousuke, are we lost?”

“Of course not my prince,” he grumbles but his eyes dart away at the last second. Ai sighs patiently, patting his arm and stepping away from the cart, looping both his arms around Sousuke's rather than letting the dragon cling onto him. He nudges them gently onward, looking around and craning his neck a little. Sousuke is aware that they're some distance from the docks at this point-- he can no longer really smell the salt and dead fish that he could before. He wants to object to Ai directing their turns but instead settles for letting the prince hold onto him without complaint.

In the end Ai doesn't do any better than he does and they end up staring at the high clay wall that creates a dead end. Ai frowns, his brow furrowing as he unlinks their arms to turn around with a sigh. “You would think finding the correct street would be easier.”

Sousuke shrugs as he turns then freezes, lip lifting over a sneer before he can think to stop himself, staring at the two men halfway down the alleyway blocking their path back to the busy flow of the market. He can see the glint of a knife in ones hand despite his best efforts to hide it behind his back and he immediately moves a step ahead of Ai, pushing the prince a step behind him. Ai stumbles mid-step and ends up bumping into Sousuke's back, fingers curling into his shirt on reflex to help keep his balance. It's not hard to guess that they're both thieves and Sousuke draws a slow breath in; he's not armed but he certainly doesn't need to be for this situation. “Please let us by.”

He doesn't suggest that he doesn't want to hurt them, because in the end he has no qualms about it. He figured out as little more than a child that humans are breakable; from the moment Ai leaped off a bookcase and broke his wrist. The taller of the two laughs, bringing the knife from the side of his hip to hold it out in front of him instead, teeth bared with his smile. Sousuke doesn't react to the blade or to Ai's alarmed gasp next to him. The prince shuffles to the side, not quite out of Sousuke's reach but enough to make his muscles coil in preparation. There's a little frown on his face and he's holding both hands up as they laugh. “It would really be better for you if you just stepped out of the way, please.”

“What a considerate little coin purse you are,” the armed man grins manically and shifts a step forward, Sousuke's whole body twines tighter. Ai isn't scared, at least, and Sousuke reminds himself that the prince has no reason to be. A single knife and not a single spark of magic between them hardly makes for a threat. “Why don't you just hand over your money and you and your friend won't get hurt, sound good?”

Ai sighs just slightly and takes a single step back, mumbling a quiet; “Just disarm them please.”

Sousuke frowns at the request but complies anyway. He's standing in front of the armed thief so quickly that the man seems surprised when Sousuke's fingers lock around his wrist, swinging him around and twisting his arm up sharply behind his back, gripping it there until the knife drops uselessly to the ground, kicked away with a simple sweep of his leg. Sousuke considers, for just a moment, simply yanking the man's arm out of place entirely but instead he lets go and forces distance between them with a shove of his shoulder, raising an eyebrow when the man bounces off the wall and lands coughing in the dust.

His eyes flick over to the other thief-- considerably younger and twitching like he's wondering if he could grab hold of Ai before Sousuke could stop him. He sighs out slowly, just shaking his head when the young man's attention jumps over to him, frowning. “If you touch him I'll have to do much worse to you.”

Sousuke cocks an eyebrow, nodding as he stumbles a step away, trying to pull the other thief back to his feet, pulling him out of the alleyway and babbling confused apologies. Ai gives him a small smile, picking up the knife and passing it over with a little giggle falling out of his mouth, patting Sousuke's cheek gently. “You don't have to look so scary.”

“You shouldn't allow people to threaten you and simply walk away, my prince,” Sousuke sighs, shaking his head but deciding to let it go. He's never won an argument against Ai's gentleness, and in the end he's not sure he'd like to see that tender streak snuffed out. Ai's arms wind around his again, hugging it to his chest and managing to actually find their way to the palace without getting lost any further, a feat Sousuke is surprised by.

He lets go of Sousuke slowly in favor of bobbing a respectful bow of his head to both the guards standing outside; both Fey, from what Sousuke can tell, with delicate complexions and ears that curve and point at the tips. They exchange glances, one with remarkably blue hair adjusting the wire-framed glasses on his face with an uncomfortable cough, looking at Sousuke more than Ai.

“Y-you are Prince Nitori then?” His eyes flick to Ai again when the small prince nods, glancing back at Sousuke and smiling easily.

“This is Sousuke Yamazaki; my personal guard,” he beams and Sousuke tries not to laugh at the surname. It doesn't connect him to any real family, but he had accepted it simply to stop Ai's insistence that if he didn't he would just be a Nitori too and he could deal with it. It was one of dozens of lines that the prince was willing to cross that Sousuke couldn't even imagine approaching. It wasn't his place. Instead he regards the Fey guard in return, tilting his head slightly and trying not to frown even further. 

“We weren't told the Nitori family had a Dragon attendant,” the other guard frowns, green eyes sparkling with disapproval. He looks at Ai's slight frown and shakes his head quickly. “Still, we can't exactly turn him away. Rei, would you please escort them for me?”

“Ah, of course Sera-senpai,” Rei, the Fey with the far more colorful hair bobs a quick bow before nodding Ai ahead of him, clearing his throat like he can erase the surprise and nervousness that filled his voice. “This way.”

He seems reluctant to take his eyes off of Sousuke as they walk, pausing outside a tall set of double doors and once again adjusting his glasses on his face, nodding his head. “You'll be sharing this hall with Prince Kisumi's other, ah... personal staff.”

Sousuke blinks furiously, tensing at the implication that Ai will be rooming with a pack of concubines but the prince seems unaffected, nodding his head gently. “Of course. Thank you very much.”

He ducks inside as Rei pushes the door open, following him to a large bedroom set apart from a series of smaller rooms. It's furnished nicely, with a tall wooden wardrobe and a sheer canopy draped across the large bed, thick rugs covering the stone floor underneath. Rei coughs slightly again, nodding his head sharply and looking at Sousuke now.

“We weren't informed that we needed to make space for a new guard but I'm sure you'll be allowed to use a room in the guests quarters until one can be prepared for you in the barracks--”

“No,” Sousuke interrupts sharply, turning and drawing himself upwards, expanding his shoulders outwards, making full use of his height and bulk. “I stay where his Highness does.”

“W-well,” Rei nearly chokes, struggling to handle the fact that he's suddenly angered a dragon in a confined room, though he's saved from answering by a warm, high voice piping up from behind him.

“Rei-chan! Did you come to have your palm read again?” A head of blond hair pokes into the room, followed by the rest of the Fey that Sousuke would describe as waif-ish; wearing sheer pantaloons and an open vest with nothing under it, gold jewelry sprinkled across his body. Rei turns with a sharp frown, shaking his head and apparently forgetting the qualm of Sousuke's sleeping arrangement.

“Of course not Nagisa-kun, I have told you before that palm reading is simply--”

“Oh! Who's this?” Nagisa bounds past Rei on light feet, planting himself instead directly in front of Ai with wide magenta eyes and a vibrant smile. “Kisu-chan's new playmate, huh?”

That does make Ai's flush brilliantly, eyes going a little wide as his mouth struggles to shape words to reply. Sousuke simply growls from low in his chest, shifting slightly closer to the prince and not blinking when it pulls both Fey's attention to him. Rei seems to recover more quickly, shaking his head and plying Nagisa a step backwards.

“P-Prince Nitori is obviously not here to just, ah, play,” Rei struggles his way through the sentence and before he's even finished he's already lost Nagisa's attention again, this time so the small Fey can stare at Sousuke with wide eyes.

“And there's a Dragon now?” He gasps, sounding delighted. Rei pushes his glasses up, nodding weakly and not quite making himself look at Sousuke again.

“W-well yes, I suppose there is,” he manages after a moment, sighing when Nagisa ducks again out of his grasp to lean over, staring at the tattoos lining Sousuke's arms with bright eyes.

“Wow, with rune magic and everything,” he looks up at Sousuke, head cocked to one side, giggling. “I'm Nagisa!”

“Sousuke,” he cocks an eyebrow when he answers, only half-focused on the Fey's exuberant prodding at his arms. He's waiting for the both of them to get bored and leave so he can ask the prince what is actually going on here; he's far from surprised by the room and implication that he's here to be little more than another concubine and it's only making Sousuke more nervous. Ai seems to pick up on his irritation because he bows his head respectfully to both of them, cheeks still slightly flushed. 

“W-would it be acceptable for me to take some time to settle both of us in?” His voice is soft, slightly shy. Sousuke simply tightens his posture slightly, skewering Rei with a glare when it seems like he wants to protest, letting him take charge of shuffling Nagisa out ahead of him, the door shutting with a small click. Ai sighs in relief, falling onto the bed on his back and closing his eyes with a soft groan. “What a long day.”

“My prince,” he sounds more disapproving than he means to but Ai's eyes flutter back open and he sits up slowly. “What's going on here? This is not how you should be treated as someone's fiance.”

“It's okay Sou,” he smiles but it doesn't quite rise all the way and instead he pats the bed next to him with a quiet sigh. “Really, I knew what this was going to be.”

He frowns, sitting next to the prince and shaking his head sharply. “You didn't tell me.”

“I didn't want to upset you-- there wasn't anything we could do but agree,” Ai sighs out long, leaning his head on Sousuke's arm and closing his eyes slowly. He wants to be upset with Ai, but instead he slides an arm around his side and lets the prince lean into him further. “It'll be okay.”

Sousuke decides to keep his doubts to himself, rubbing Ai's back instead.


End file.
